Automatic wood-gas-regulating valve for destructive-wood-distillation plants.



R. A. \i W. COOPER.

AUTOMATIC WOOD GAS REGULAIING VALVE FOR DESTRUCTWE WOOD DISTILLATION PLANTS.

' APPLICATION FILED muz'lu. I916. amzwm m4. :2. ms.

1 ,269 Patented June 11, 1918.

E mill Snow H3005 191/7650; er 4, Coo vex.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT A. COOPER AND WILLIAM COOPER, OF EAST SMETHPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC WOOD-GAS-REGULATING VALVE FOR DEBTRUCTIVE-WOOD-DISTILLATION PLANTS.

Specification of Letters intent.

Patented June 11, 1918.

Application fled has 10, lilspflerill No. 102,867. Renewed January 12. 1918. Serial No. 211,871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT A. Coornu and WILLIAM Coornn, citizens of the United States, residin atEast Smethport, in the county of Mo ean and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Wood-Gas-Re trolling and equalizing the suction in the cimdensers so as to allow only the noncondtnsable gas or wood gas to be drawn from Elie condensers to the boilers to be used as uel.

Another object of our invention is to provide a valve which is adapted to be placed in the branch pipes connecting the condensers to the wood gas line pipe leading to the boiler so as to control the suction in each condenser.

In wood distillation plants as now in use, suction is created in the condensers by steam jets at the boilers, and in the present arrangement of wood distillation plants, the retorts nearest the boilers receive the heavier suction, and the retorts farthest removed the lightest suction.

With the ordinary slide valve the'wood gas line at each retort,t e boiler jet is adjusted to draw awa the gas from the retorts farthest from the boilers, and the retorts nearest the boilers must necessarily ,be regulated by the hand slides to equalize the suction, and we have found by actual experience and observation that a strong suction is created when the retorts run hot from accidental overfirin and results in drawing into the wood gas ine from the condensers] volatile ases, mostly methyl alcohol, whichv are there lost but which can be condensed by control ing the suction through the condenser, and the object of our invention is to provide means for controlling the suction in to condensers in order to condense all of t e condensable gases passing through the pondensers.

" In dcstructible wood distillation plants laced in employing a battery of retorts, the suction created is reatest at the retort nearest the boiler, an less at the retort farthest rcmoved therefrom, and'the object of our in vention is to provide an automatic re lating valve which is capable of being ad usted so as to provide means for utilizing the same style of valve in each branch from the condensers as each valve is capable of being adjustable independently so as to regulate the suction in each condenser thereby reventing the condensable gases from being rawn from the condensers.

Another object of our invention is to provide an automatic as regulating valve for each condenser in the battery of condensers and retorts in destructible wood distillation plants so constructed that each valve will operate automatically so as to control the suction from the boiler so as to prevent over; suction.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter set forth and the novel features thereof defined by the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a diagram or 'a destructive wood distillation plant showing the application of our improved construction of automatic woodgas regulating valve thereto.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through our improved construction of automatic wood gas regulatingvalve.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through a portion of the outlet pipe of the condenser showing its connection with the gas line pipe, the regulating valve being shown in elevation.

Like numerals of reference refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

In thediagratri shown in Fig. 1 we show a series of, retorts 1 connected to the .condensers 2 by pipes 3 from which extend pipes 4 which are provided with the usual traps not shown, to prevent the noncondensab e gases from passing oif with the condensable gases. with a vertical branch 5 in which is arranged a pipe section 6, the upper end of each branch terminating in a wood gas line 7, which extends to a boiler 8 having the usual steam p'rpe terminating in a steam jet within the wood gas line pipe 7 for creating suction therein, so as to draw the nonconach pipe 4 is provided of the piston having a each side of tween the dcnsnblc gases from the condensers to the boiler to be used as fuel which is common in wood distillation plants as now constructed. The construction of each automatic valve employed in the branch pipes connecting the outlet pipes 4 of the condenser tothe wood gas line pipes 7 is identical, and the Wlll be sufiicient t'or all. Emending ing 8' which is provided disposed cylinder 9 in which is mounted a oiston 10 having an adjustable piston rod 11 mounted therein which is provided with a threaded portion passing through the head nutmounted upon the head for adjusting the position-of the piston rod therein. The opposite end of said piston rod is providedwith a bifurcated portion in which is plvotally mounted the upper end of a pitman rod 1 which is pivotally mounted at its lower end on the double crank portion 13 of a damper rod 1%, the ends of which are pivotally mounted in bearings 15 and 16 as clearly shown in. Fig. 2. The end of the casing 8' is provided with a dial face 17 and the end of the dam er rod 14 carries a pointer 18 over said dial face so as to indicate the position of the damper 19 carried by the damper rod 1a in the pipe section 6. The damper rod 14 is supported by a partition 20 in the casing 8' which terminates short of the upper end thereof leaving an opening in order to afiord communication bepipe section 6 and the casin 8 for the purpose hereinafter fully descrl ed. The vertically disposed cylinder 9 is provided with an annular internal flange 21 forming a seat .for a coil spring 22 arranged within the cylinder and upon theupper end of which is mounted the piston which is substantially inverted be seen that when the piston is drawn downwardly the springrwill be compressed so that when the suction is reduced, the piston willbe forcedibackinto its normal position in order to hold the damper 1 9 m the ipe section 16 in vertical position therein, in order to allow "a free passage of the non; condensable gases therethrough.

The upper end of the cylinder 9 is closed by a cap 23 hich isprovided with openings registering with openings 2d formed in the upper end of the cylinder so as to allow the air drawn into the cylinder on the downward movement of the piston to escape therefrom on the upward 'movement thereof.

Itv will be seen that by adjusting the nuts on the piston rod, the position of the piston in respect to the spring can be adjusted in order to .mgulate the action of the piston so as to cause/the damper to open with less or greater suction which enables the valve to be adjusted to suit the branch pipe to which it is eonncctfid whereby the suction cup-shaped, and it will 1,ace,soe

in each branch pipe extending from the condensers will be regulated as the valve will open and close in proportion to the amount of suction so as to prevent the condensable gases from being drawn out of the condensers and carried to the boiler.

In the operation of our improved construction of automatic gas regulating valve applied to a destructive wood distillation plant as shown in the diagram in which three retorts are shown, each retort being connected to a condenser which are connected to the boiler by a wood gas line pipe having disposed between the wood gas line pipe and the outlet pipe of the condenser one of our improved construction of valve; the suction is created at the boiler by a steam jet, the will be greater than at the last condenser in the battery of condensers, and as the dampers are normally in open position to allow free passage of gas therethrough, the suction is created within the casing 8' and will draw the piston downwardly within. the cylinder 9 so as to oscillate the damper rod 14: so as to turn the damper 19 and partly close the section 6 so as to prevent over-suction within any of the branches of the condensers as in actual work suction will be exerted within the cylinder and throu h the medium of the piston will adjust t e osition of the dam er in proportion to t e suction which will prevent the condensable gases from being drawn out of the condensers.

While we have shown a particular construction of piston for controlling the position of the damper, it is, of course, understood that various other onstructions could be used in connection with springs for returning the samp to normal osition without departm 7 from the spirit 0 our invention, and we 0 not wish to limit ourselves to any particular construction of fluid controlled amper for regulating the suction in the condensers;

We claim.

1. ln a wood distillation bination with a series of condensers, of a pipe connection from said condensers to the boiler of theplant and a su tion controlled damper for controlling the passage bf gases throu h said pipe.

2. n' a destructive wood distillation plant, the combination with a battery of condensers, of a boiler, a wood gas line pipe hav ng a connection with said boiler, branch pipes connecting said condensers to said wood gas line pipe, dampers arranged in said branches,and fluid actuated means for plant, the comcontrolling the position of said dampers.

3. In jadestructive wood distillation plant, the combination with a-battery of retort/s and a battery of p condensers connected together, of a boiler,

a wood gas line suction at the first condenser pipe extending from said boiler, means for creating a suction in said pipe, a connection between said pipe and condensers, and a fluid controlled am er for controlling the suction in each con ensern 4. In a destructive wood distillation plant, the combination with a battery of retorts and a battery of condensers, of a boiler, a gas line pipe extending from said boiler, means for creating a suction in said pipe, a connection between each condenser,

and said pipe, and afluid controlled damper said connections.

arran ed within each of 5. destructive wood distillation plant, comprising a batte of retorts, a battery of condensers, a boiler, and a connection from said boiler to said condensers, means for creating suction within said connection, and fluid actuated means for controlling the suction in each condenser.

6. A wood distillation plant having a condenser rovided with an outlet havin a trap, a ranch extending from said out et, a gas line pipe connected to said branch, means for creating a suction in said as line ranch the position 0% and means for controllin e suction 1n said said damper to regulate condenser.

7. A destructive wood distillation plant having a condenser provided with an outlet having a branch, a wood gas line pipe connected to said branch, means for creatin suction within said wood gas line pipe, an

a fluid controlled damper arranged within said branch.

8. In a wood distillation plant, the combination with a condenser, of a wood gas line pipe havin a connection with said condenser, means or creating suction within said wood gas line pipe, and a fluid controlled damper for regulating the suction within said condenser.

9. In a wood distillation plant,the combination with a condenser havin an outlet, a branch connected to said out et, a pipe section arranged within said branch having a casing provided with a cylinder, a damper 10d mounted within said casing extending through said pipe section, a damper mounted on said damper rod within said pi a section, and a piston mounted within sai cylinder having a connectioniwith sald damper rod for controlling the position of said'damper within said pipe section.

10. In a wood distillation plant, the com-' bination-with an outlet pipe of a condenser, of a pipe section connected thereto having a damper controlling the passage of gas therethrough, and suction actuated means for adjusting the osition of said damper.

11. In a wood istillation plant, the combination with a condenserhaving an outlet provided with a branch, of a pipe sect on connected to said branch, a casing carr ed by said pipe section, a cylinder carried by said casing, a damper rod mounted within said casing and pipe section, a damper carried by said damper rod, said damper rod having a double crank portion, and a spring returned piston mounted within said cylinderhaving a connection with said crank portion.

12. In a wood distillation plant, the combination with a condenser having an outlet for condensed gases, said outlet having a branch forming an outlet for noncondensable gases, and a suction controlled damper arranged in said non-condensable gas pipe for controlling the passage of gas therethrough.

1,3. In a wood distillation plant, the combination with a condenser having an outlet, of a pipe section connected thereto, a casing carried by said pipe section, a cylinder carried by said casing, a damper rod mounted within said casing and pipe section, a damper secured on said damper rod within said pipe section, said damper rod having a crank portion within said casing, a piste mounted within said cylinder, a connection between said piston and crank portion, and a coil spring disposed under said piston within said cylinder.

14. In a destructive wood distillation plant, the 'combination with a condenser havmg a noncondensablegas outlet, of a pipe section arranged over said outlet, a damper.

mounted within said pipe section, a casing carried by said pipe'section, a cylinder car ried by said casing, and a spring returned iston arranged within said cylinder and avin a connection with said damper for contro ling the position of said damper within said pipe section.

15. In a destructive wood distillation lant, the combination with a condenser havmg a noncondensable gas outlet pipe, apipe section arranged over saidpipe, acasing extending from said pipe section,.a damper rod mounted within said casing/land pipe section having a crank portion within said casing, a damper arranged on said damper rod within said pipe section, a cylinder car ried b said' casmg'having an annular inturne flange adjacent one end, a piston a condenser, a boiler, and a connection fromsaid boiler to said condenser, means for creatin suction within said condenser, and ad- 'usta le fluid actuated means for controllingrthe suction in said condenser.

1 In a wood distillation plant, the

mounted within said cylinder, a piston rod adjustably mounted within said piston, a

bination with a condenser, of a Weed" gas our signatures in the pretem--rof two vv. E518 pipe havingf a connection with said nesses. i

nder ser means or creating suction within i r q said wood gas line pi e, a damper for regulilating the suction wt in said condenser, and

I a fluid actuated piston having an adjustable Witnessesconnection with said damper. W. M. Hmme, In bestimnny w of we hereunto aflix T. H. Soomn, 

